My affordable river cruise filled with cobbled cities, wine and good food

I couldn’t get my head around it. I was standing on the deck of a barge inside a giant lock that was being mechanically lifted 240ft into the air. The Strépy-Thieu Boat Lift on the Canal du Centre, in Belgium, is the second-largest in the world and the first I had experienced.

All I could hear was a gentle hum, there was no clunking of metal and no sloshing of water. The huge weight of the water-filled lock glided upwards, the motion only perceptible by following the movement of the vast concrete counterbalancing weights. There was a brief pause at the top while the lock gates equalised the water levels, then we were away, on a waterway high above.

Strépy-Thieu Boat Lift is a novelty on the cruise (Photo: Getty)

This was the second-ever sailing on Belgium’s dense network of waterways by cruise line CroisiEurope. Our barge-hotel, the MS Raymonde, had 11 compact but comfortable cabins for 22 guests (a mix of Britons and Canadians) and took us 152km between Halle and Ghent. Its harlequin orange and purple décor gave it a cheerful “homely” air, we agreed. And with a crew of six to indulge us, we were well looked after, spoilt, in fact.

The cruise itinerary included a half-day excursion from the ship, then sailing the rest of the day. It was designed with food in mind.

A coach trip to Brussels meant the chocolate museum; the next day we toured Belgium’s largest vineyard Le Domaine Chant d’Eole, where “champagne-method” sparkling wine is produced; the city of Mons involved truffles resembling coal, in honour of its mining history, and in Flemish Oudenaarde we visited the Braeckman distillery, which produces a genever along with whisky and gin.

Belgium’s little Versailles is among the highlights (Photo: Getty)

In Bruges, we learnt the art of brewing at the Halve Maan Brewery. According to Hanns, our amiable cruise host, more than 1,000 beers are brewed in Belgium.

Of course, we also enjoyed short, guided tours around the cities and the Chateau de Beloeil, Belgium’s little Versailles, which was filled with flowers for a competition. Mons, a less tourist-heavy alternative to Bruges with Gothic architecture and cobbled streets, was the most poignant.

Here, we were shown around by Michael, who told the story of the First World War from a local perspective. He pointed out that both the first and last soldiers were killed around Mons – the latter being a Canadian. As we stood adjacent to the war memorials in the archway of the medieval city hall, the respect that Michael expressed for the allied forces touched both the Britons and the Canadians in the group.

Grand-Place de Mons is reminiscent of more crowded Belgium cities (Photo: Getty)

It was a Sunday and the market square was all but deserted under a leaden sky. As Michael wound up his narrative about the Angel of Mons (said, in legend, to have protected the British Army during the battle of the same name), the church bells tolled.

After the first couple of days on board, strangers became friends, and everyone adjusted to the slow rhythm of the day. Our languorous journey along the waterways revealed a post-industrial landscape giving way to tree-lined riverbanks and ancient farmsteads. I took it all in from the comfort of a deckchair, basking in the novelty of spring sunshine. The waterways were mostly empty.

Expect scenic cruising en route (Photo: ©letabatha.net)

As Hanns was travelling through his homeland, he directed our attention to landmarks: a war cemetery here, a 12th-century monastery there. He even waved to his aunt as we passed her home. His pride in, and knowledge of, his country was one of the trip’s highlights.

The rhythm of the day centred around the ringing of the bell to indicate that cocktails were being served. This evening drink was accompanied by a snack, which often turned out to be a small but intensely flavoured soup served in a tiny white tureen. My favourite was onion; rich, creamy and silky smooth.

The chef, Vincent, came to announce the menu as we drank. It was classically French: duck a l’orange, pork confit, salmon en croûte, all accompanied by those magical sauces that distinguish French cuisine.

Guests are spoilt with six staff to a maximum of 22 passengers (Photo: Supplied)

Initially, I was sceptical as there was no choice of menu, rather Vincent cleverly adapted his planned meals to satisfy the pescatarian, vegetarian and the gluten-intolerant guests. While no snacks are served as such, Hanns would make tea or coffee, if requested. We were so well fed at meal times that no one bought food while we were off the ship.

Our evenings became more and more lively as we vied for supremacy in the challenges, teaming up to answer Hanns’ pub quiz questions. There was a merging of people, so the teams were formed of different combinations of people each evening.

The cost of the trip included the food, drink and tours, and was good value for money.

I was surprised how much I had enjoyed being absolved of all responsibility. “Hanns has it all in hand” was a refrain. All I had to decide was how much chocolate, sparkling wine and genever I could feasibly carry on the train back to London.

Getting there

Eurostar has direct trains from London St Pancras to Brussels. The cheapest one-way fare is £39. Trains from Brussels to Halle take around 12 minutes.

Booking it

Deborah Gray was a guest of CroisiEurope, which has six-night cruises between Halle and Ghent sailing on the MS Raymonde from £1,356pp. This includes all meals, drinks, excursions, use of bicycles, WiFi and port fees, croisieurope.co.uk 

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